The two pill furnaces continued to spin steadily, their rotation smooth and constant.
A gathering of spirit beasts stared wide-eyed, completely transfixed.
"Is this how humans refine pills?" Sang Qing could not help but whisper to Rong Zhou beside her. "Senior Rong, you've lived long enough. Have you ever seen a method like this?"
Rong Zhou fell silent.
Not only had he never seen it, he had never even heard of such a thing.
"Can she really succeed like this?" Sang Qing's voice grew uncertain. She had been resigned to despair. But now, against her will, a faint spark of hope rose in her heart. And with hope came anxiety and fear.
Rong Zhou hesitated before answering. "This method of pill refinement is unheard of. Yet… there are no signs of the furnaces exploding. Perhaps—just perhaps—she truly has a chance?"
His tone lifted ever so slightly at the end. Reason told him it was absurd. But his heart could not stop yearning to see this human succeed.
Twelve full hours passed. An entire day and night.
From daylight to darkness, and then back to dawn.
Throughout it all, Yun Jin did not stop, continuously maintaining control over the twin furnaces. Her method of pill refinement had nothing elegant or beautiful about it. To the eye, it was dry, repetitive, and utterly monotonous.
Yet not a single spirit beast left. Instead, more and more gathered, until Yun Jin suspected nearly every beast in the Spirit Beast Forest had come to watch.
Morning light shone across the square.
Ten hours had already passed.
The fragrance of medicine grew stronger and stronger, seeping into the air. Even the Phantom Leopards forced to linger far at the back could catch the scent.
One of them instinctively inhaled deeply. A cool sensation instantly washed through his dantian, easing the dark injuries hidden within his body. Wounds that had stubbornly refused to heal were suddenly half mended.
And that was only from a single breath.
"This is a ninth-grade pill?"
"Is it truly about to succeed?"
"My whole body feels lighter!"
The spirit beasts murmured in hushed tones, lowering their voices as if afraid a single sound might disturb Yun Jin.
Di Xiao's eyes never left the furnaces.
"Senior Di," Cheng Feng Zhēnzūn murmured, almost dazed, "it seems the pills are nearly done."
Di Xiao's expression remained cold. "You think I need you to tell me that?"
But inside, stormy waves battered his composure. He was no ordinary beast. As king of spirit beasts, he had lived for countless years. Out of boredom, he had once studied the arts of humankind—alchemy among them.
Few knew it, but Di Xiao himself was a respectable alchemist. His knowledge of herbs could rival anyone in this world.
And yet Yun Jin—
Every single step she had taken was wrong, a walking example of what not to do according to alchemical texts. So many mistakes piled atop one another. Anyone else would have blown the furnace to pieces a thousand times over. But Yun Jin's furnaces had not only endured, they now seemed on the brink of success.
Sang Qing's breathing grew shallow. She hardly dared to draw air too loudly. If there had never been hope, she could have endured despair. But now hope burned vividly before her eyes. Her child… perhaps her child truly could be saved.
Under the gaze of countless beasts, Yun Jin calmly continued feeding spiritual power into the furnaces.
Time ticked by.
Soon, the twelfth hour approached.
Sang Qing's heart seized as she looked down at the cub in her arms.
The infant Tongtian Howler had only a single thread of life remaining. He lay motionless, eyes closed, chest faintly rising and falling with what little strength remained. Her hands tightened involuntarily.
Twelve hours. That was the final limit of the life-preserving technique.
Would this pill be ready in time?
The beasts' hearts all rose into their throats. The closer the time drew, the quieter the square became. By the final few moments, silence reigned. Not even a breath was hidden—every sound was clear.
Could she do it?
Eyes shone with anticipation.
She could. She must.
The antlered Spike Deer gazed on, brimming with hope.
Even Di Xiao's hand trembled despite himself. This time, the shake came from genuine nerves.
Then, in an instant, the fragrance flooding the entire square suddenly withdrew.
Di Xiao's lips quivered.
That was it. Pill formation.
The fragrance folding inward meant the ninth-grade pills had truly formed.
They were real.
Cheng Feng Zhēnzūn still looked as if trapped in a dream.
Sang Qing's entire body shook.
"Just one step left," Rong Zhou urgently transmitted to her. "Collecting the pills is just as crucial. A single mistake now, and all will be lost. Sang Qing, calm yourself. Do not make a sound. Do not disturb Yun Jin!"
Sang Qing's heart tightened. She froze, hardly daring to twitch a muscle.
And then—
"Finally, I can breathe again!"
Yun Jin exhaled loudly, her tension vanishing.
She strode forward.
"Now, watch carefully. This step requires utmost delicacy," Rong Zhou whispered again.
Sang Qing braced herself, nervous to the core.
But the next moment her face stiffened.
Delicacy? Where was the delicacy?
What she saw looked more like a cook lifting the lid off a pot. Yun Jin casually flipped open the furnace top!
Di Xiao nearly fainted.
The final step. The most critical moment!
If this human did not know how to collect pills, she should have let him do it. With such careless technique, if she somehow still succeeded, he would—
But before he could even finish that thought, Yun Jin waved her hand.
From each furnace, three pills floated smoothly into the air.
Di Xiao blinked, dazed.
His first thought was relief—thank heavens he had not sworn anything foolish just now.
Yun Jin's haphazard style had succeeded. Not only succeeded, but produced a full six pills in total.
Six pills, each crystal clear, their surfaces engraved with nine radiant pill patterns.
Ninth-grade pills.
The Shangqing Rejuvenation Pills had been forged.
And in that same moment, the life-preserving technique reached its end.
The cub in Sang Qing's arms suddenly convulsed.
"Sect Master Yun!" Sang Qing cried, voice breaking, instinctively using a respectful title.
Without hesitation, Yun Jin flicked her fingers, sending a pill into the cub's mouth. The ninth-grade Rejuvenation Pill dissolved instantly, transforming into purest life essence. The cub's eyes slowly opened. His spasms eased, his small body relaxing.
But it was not over.
The backlash of the master-servant contract still clung to him, and Heaven's punishment continued. The life force he had just regained began to ebb away once more. His features twisted in pain.
The sensation of life being torn from him was unbearable, and he had endured it more than once. For a fleeting moment, the young Tongtian Hou thought it would be easier simply to let go—to embrace death, and be free from this torment.
Yet through the haze, he saw her again. The white-haired human woman.
Her voice was gentle. "You promised me you would believe in me. Xiao Bao, you will live."
A faint whimper escaped his throat.
Yes.
He would live. He must.
The first pill's power was fully consumed.
Yun Jin immediately fed him a second.
Life force surged through him once again.
Heaven's punishment tore at him anew. His vitality began to slip away.
Then came the third pill.
This time, the decline slowed noticeably.
The cub's mind swam in a blur of pain, but he clung stubbornly to one final shred of clarity.
No one had given up on him.
So he could not give up on himself.
He would live.
He must.